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[Lordhermitcrab]

So I remember in the Hobbit movies, the latest ones, one of the main dwarves had a chunk of steel in his head apparently from an accident when he was younger. It's still there after all those years, because they never removed it. Why was this?

Is it because if they had removed it, it would've greatly increased the area for bleeding, and thus he would've bled out?

Usually in dwarf fortress, bleeding out from a stab wound is common if it's not treated. But how exactly would people in, Medieval times, for example, treat a giant sever in skin, muscle, and blood vessels through the body?

[Grim Portent]

In general flesh wounds would be treated much as they are now, using cauterization, stitches and bandages. Not generally done using clean tools or the most precise of methods though, so often people would get infections and die.

As I understand it most flesh wounds caused death from infection if you didn't bleed out when you initially got it.

[Montieth]

Microbiology was NOT understood well until around the American Civil war. Noting that during the ACW and the Crimean war, there were many deaths due to infection and not trauma from wounds. Sometimes more than from trauma (as in the Crimean war). During the ACW, hands, tools, bandages, were not cleaned so they were substantial vectors for infection.

[Purdurabo]

But how exactly would people in, Medieval times, for example, treat a giant sever in skin, muscle, and blood vessels through the body?

Leeches and bloodletting I think.

[Dunamisdeos]

I mean, they knew how to stitch/bandage things. Also casts were a thing that were used, albeit with more primitive methodology.

Things like infection were the main danger.

Leeches and bloodletting would be unlikely to be used in the treatment of trauma. Medical issues such as diseases would probably draw that kind of treatment, as there was little understanding of what caused them.

[Grim Portent]

Leeches and bloodletting would be unlikely to be used in the treatment of trauma. Medical issues such as diseases would probably draw that kind of treatment, as there was little understanding of what caused them.

To expand on this, a lot of medieval medicine was based on the idea of the 'four humours' suggested by Greek philosophers and doctors. The idea was that you had blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile, if my memory serves, in a certain equilibrium and disease was caused by imbalances in your humours.

Usually this was treated by removing some of one or more of your bodily fluids. The biles were reduced by inducing vomiting, blood by knives and leeches and so on.

[kingsableye]

another thing that was used where available was honey. They didn't know honey was antibacterial, but they could see that it prevented infections and helped heal the wounds and keep them clean. Deep gashes were often filled with honey and then covered with absorbent plants and grease to seal it.

[MobRules]

another thing that was used where available was honey. They didn't know honey was antibacterial, but they could see that it prevented infections and helped heal the wounds and keep them clean. Deep gashes were often filled with honey and then covered with absorbent plants and grease to seal it.

I did not know this. And it's a very useful bit of historic information for a project I'm working on: thanks!